A challenge in the exploration and treatment of internal areas of the human anatomy has been adequately visualizing the area of concern. Visualization may be especially troublesome in minimally invasive procedures in which small diameter, elongate instruments, such as catheters or endoscopes, may be navigated through natural passageways and cavities of a patient to a treatment area.
Generally speaking, ureteroscopy is one procedure that may be performed to diagnosis and/or treat urinary tract diseases and ureteral strictures. In conventional ureteroscopy, a ureteroscope may be inserted retrograde through the urinary tract such that diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract abnormalities may occur under visualization. Ureteroscopes may include an elongate member that may encapsulate an image sensor, an illumination element, and a working channel. The working channel may allow for the passage of instruments, such as guidewires, stone retrieval baskets, and lasers. Moreover, some ureteroscopes may also incorporate a steering mechanism, which may be actuated by the user to deflect a distal tip of the elongate member in one or more planes. Steering may typically be achieved via ex-vivo manipulation at a handle end of the ureteroscope.
Problems exist, however, in the use of conventional ureteroscopes. For example, after each successive urological procedure, conventional ureteroscopes must be cleaned and sterilized before the next use, which delays successive procedures. Furthermore, conventional ureteroscopes are non-disposable and require extensive and expensive maintenance. Sterilization delays and costs associated with purchasing and/or repairing ureteroscopes have escalated costs for ureteroscopic procedures and other medical procedures that utilize similarly configured scopes. The medical devices and related methods of the present disclosure are directed to improvements in the existing technology.